For a club such as Newcastle United, who have not won a domestic trophy since 1955, success and failure are relative concepts, but as Alan Pardew juggles his squad to cope with the demands of playing in four competitions, they are concepts he must wrestle with.

While any manager who brought silverware to Tyneside would immediately be regarded as a legend, for Pardew — as for most of his peers — the Barclays Premier League remains the priority, for reasons of status, resources and ability to improve.

It is with that thought, amongst others, that Newcastle travel to Old Trafford tonight for